The Pittsburgh Steelers usually have a crowd noise advantage in almost every stadium, and especially so within the friendly confines of Acrisure Stadium. But that wasn’t the case tonight as Green Bay Packers fans turned out in droves to watch Aaron Rodgers.
The Go Pack Go chants were clearly audible on the broadcast, and Rodgers said it had a tangible effect on the game.
“I’ve heard that chant for 18 years,” Rodgers said after the Steelers’ 35-25 loss via the Steelers’ website. “Packer fans travel really well. First time in a while I’ve used silent count for a home game. That’s a credit to those Packer fans.”
TribLive’s Chris Adamski noted early in the game that it may have been the largest away team presence at a Steelers game ever. It’s not overly surprising given the opportunity to watch Rodgers against his former team on Sunday Night Football, but notable nevertheless.
T.J. Watt had this to say about offenses going on the silent count at home last season against the Atlanta Falcons.
“It’s extremely demoralizing for an offense to be on a silent count at their home field. Silent count is incredible,” Watt said via Steelers.com.
Especially in the second half when Steelers fans started clearing out of the stands, the Packers’ fan presence was apparent. It was an added insult to injury as the Steelers blew a two-possession lead and were blown out 28-9 in the second half.
When the Packers chants really started rolling, the Steelers had three punts, a field goal, and a fumble before the game got completely out of hand.
I don’t know if the Steelers expected to have to use the silent count at home. I would wager probably not, but it sure is a tough pill to swallow.
